THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has turned down the request of 54 assistant librarians in Kerala University, appointed on contract basis in 2010-11, to regularise them in service. KU had earned flak for not reporting the posts to the state PSC despite other universities reporting 78 such posts for regular appointment.
A few assistant librarians had approached the High Court with the demand for regularisation. They contended that they had worked for more than 10 years and were unable to secure another job, being over-aged. The court had asked the government and the university to examine the legal aspects of regularising them.
Even though the previous meeting of the university Syndicate had taken up the issue, no decision was taken as the matter was before the government’s consideration. The higher education department said the petitioners, being appointed on contract basis, cannot have any right to be retained in the university once the period of their contract is over.
“Regularisation of contract employees will lead to a huge financial burden for the university,” the higher education department’s order said. The order also said the appointment to various non-teaching posts, including library assistant, has already been entrusted with the state PSC.
The Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC), a whistleblower’s collective, had petitioned the governor on the matter. It said aspirants to the library assistant posts, who wrote the PSC exam in July this year, have been left in the lurch as the contract employees were continuing in service.The PSC prepares ranklists only on the basis of vacancies reported.Non-reporting of vacancies would lead to deserving candidates, including those from the reservation category, failing to secure jobs, the SUCC said in its petition.
‘REGULARISATION WILL LEAD TO FIN BURDEN’
The higher education department said the petitioners, being appointed on contract basis, cannot have any right to be retained once the period of their contract is over. “Regularisation of contract employees will lead to a huge financial burden for the university,” the order said. The appointment to various non-teaching posts, including library assistant, has already been entrusted with the state PSC